Torpedo-guard.



F. ANDERSDN.

TORPEDO GUARD,

APPLICATION HLED JUNE :9. 191a.

1,22,520 Patented: 0ct,22,1918.

| 2 SHEETSSHEET I.

[NVEN T018.

ATTORNEY F. A. A MHJERSOiiu TORPEDO GUARD.

APPuc/nm man JUNE is, 1918.

INVENTOR.

A TTORNE Y Patented Oct. 22, 1918.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

FRITZ ALFRED ANDERSON, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

TOIRPEDO-GUARD.

Application filed June 19, 1918.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FRITZ ALFRED ANDER- SON, subject of the King Gustavus .1 of Sweden, and a resident of 435 East 66th street, in the city of New York, county of New York, and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Torpedo-Guards, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to torpedo guards, and especially to that class where a row of folding screens are spaced from a boat by a double series of arms hinged to the sides of the boat.

One advantage of this invention is to provide a boat with a torpedo guard which can be raised or lowered in normal operation of said guard.

Another advantage is to provide a torpedo guard which may be raised and folded entirely out of the way.

Another advantage is to provide a torpedo guard having a very substantial screen construction with great inherent strength.

Another advantage is to provide a tor pedo guard whose operation and control is entirely efiected by means of ropes which are simply reeled on or off the drums of various engines on the boat.

Further advantages and possibilities will become apparent as the specification proceeds.

In the drawings Figure 1, is a side view of a boat equipped with an apparatus embodying the present invention.

Fig. 2 is a view of one ofv the arms 3 of Fi 1.

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary view of screens 16 and 17 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is another view of Fig. 1 with the superstructure omitted, and the apparatus of the present invention in raised position.

Fig. 5 is a front view of a boat equipped with the apparatus as shown'in Fig. 1 on one side and on the other side a similar apparatus in raised position.

T hrou hout the views the same numerals refer to the same or duplicate parts.

To guard merchant ships effectively from torpedoes is a supreme problem in time of war, and some forms of wire netting and structures of various descriptions have been proposed,.but have not seemed practical or else been ineffective because of inherent defects of design or theory.

It -is with the purpose in view of provid- Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Oct. 22, 1918.

Serial No. 240,766.

ing a perfectly practical torpedo guard that blocks 13 in which are centered tapered arms 3, 3, which are each provided at the outer extremities with a pulley 3. Similarly, hinge blocks 8, 8, are provided a distance below blocks 13 in which are hinged arms 14, 14 which in turn are hinged at 25 to the lower edges of screens 17. Upon the deck 9 of boat 10 are located a row of davits 1, 1, 1, 1 which have pulley blocks through which are run the ropes 2, 2, 2, and the latter ropes continue outwardly to the arms 3, 3, and over pulleyS and are secured to the top edges of the screen 16 immediately beneath. The screens 16 and 17 are hinged at their juncture by hinge 5, further illustrated in Figs. 3 and 5 and in normal lowered position are retained vertically in line by plates 4, 4 by simply placing a pin through the holes in fingers 22 of each p ate.

The draw lines 23 and 24 are never varied but are simply fastened to the post 21 and to the screens to cause the latter to follow the movement of the boat. The screens 16 and 17 are broken at two points 19 and 18 where screens 6 and 7 are hinged to 16 to correspond with the lower decks 11 and 12 respectively, where the loading and unloading of the boat is carried out.

When it is desired to raise the screens up out of the Way as when going into port, the pin in fingers 22 of each of the plates 4, 4 are removed and all the ropes 2, 2, 2 are simultaneously drawn up on reels by the engines on the boat till the screens 6, 16 and 7 are close to the blocks of davits 1, 1, 1, 1. The top corners of screens 17 adjacent to screens 6 and 7 are secured by ropes at 20, 20 and 15, 15 which latter are drawn up till the screens and arms 3 3, 14, 14 touch the boat.

Furthermore lines 2, 2, 2 are left out again to permit screens 16 to hinge outwardly and fold down over screens 17 and a position of all parts will be secured as illustrated in Fig. 5.

Finally the free ends of screens 6 and 7 are released from the extreme end screens and as they are hinged at 19 and 18 respectively to screen 16 are folded back over the latter screen as at 7 in Fig. 4. It is thus seen that the screens are not only up out of the water and clear of the docks but also permit a free and open space for loading and unloading the boat.

Having thus fully described my invention I desire to obtain by U. S. Letters Patent:

1. A torpedo guard including a screen frame and a pair of vertically spacedhorizontal arms hinged to the side of a boat, the lower of said arms being hinged to said screen frame, a pulley in the outer extremity of the upper of said arms and a rope secured to said screen frame passing over said pulley through said arm and up to the deck of said boat.

2. A torpedo guard including a screen frame spaced from the sides of a boat by means of a series of horizontal arms hinged to said boat and to said frame, a second series 0t arms hinged to said boat provided with pulleys in their outer extremities, ropes pending from davits on said boat passing through said second series of arms secured to said screen to sup port all said arms and screen, and vertically ringed sections in said screen adapted to fold back upon the same to provide clearance, in loading said boat.

8. A torpedo guard including an upper and alower corresponding series of horizontal arms extending from theside of a 1 secured to the lower portions of said screen extending up behind ribs of the upper por tion of said screen, and fingers upon said plates straddling said ribs adapted to receive pins to keep the upper and lower portions of said screen in alineinent.

5. A torpedo guard including an upper and a lower corresponding series of horizontal arms extending from the boat, a

screen supported at the outer extremities of said arms, and a series of hinges along a line of division in said screen, adapting the upper portion of said screen to fold over the lower portion. v

Signed. at 132 Nassau street, in the borough of Manhattan, in the county of New York, city and State of New York, this 17th day of June, 1918.

FRITZ ALFRED ANDERSON.

WVitnesses:

C. F. W M. Fonssnnas, OLGA THORSELL.

:Gopie's of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. G. 

